Nurse Who Battled Ebola Quarantines Moving to Freeport, Maine

The Maine nurse who successfully fought Ebola quarantines in two states is moving from Fort Kent to Freeport, citing her boyfriend's troubles with his nursing school during her highly-publicized quarantine battle with state officials.

Kaci Hickox, who will reach the end of her 21-day active monitoring at 11:59 p.m. Monday, told NBC affiliate WCSH in a Facebook message that she and her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, had been living at the northern tip of the state for him to attend the University of Maine Fort Kent.

"He will not continue at an institution of higher learning that has acted so poorly, shown no leadership, and completely disregard[ed] him during the past few weeks," Hickox said in her message. "We are heading to Southern Maine this week."

Hickox added in the message that she and Wilbur never said they were "leaving the state."

Her attorney, Norm Siegel, confirmed that she and Wilbur plan to visit family and friends in Boston and Baltimore and may also stop to visit him in New York City.

Hickox triggered a debate over states' efforts to combat Ebola risks when she returned to the United States last month from Sierra Leone, where she had been working with Doctors Without Borders to treat patients with the virus.

Hickox tested negative and showed no symptoms of the virus. After an initial quarantine in New Jersey after her plane arrived, she was allowed to return home to Maine, where state health officials tried to force her to self-quarantine at home. She won that battle when a judge ruled against state efforts to restrict her movement.

Active monitoring of Hickox is set to end Tuesday, with Monday marking 21 days since she was last exposed to an Ebola patient in Sierra Leone. That patient, a 10-year-old girl, died alone without her family.

"In the past, a quarantine was something that was considered very extreme. I'm concerned about how lightly we're taking this concept today," the Associated Press quoted Hickox as saying. "I'm concerned that the wrong people are leading the debate and making the decisions."

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